Math Table

Welcome!

Math Table is a seminar jointly run by the Harvard Mathematics department and undergraduate students. The purpose of Math Table is to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to be exposed to interesting mathematical topics, as well as to gain experience in communicating and teaching mathematics.

Talks take place roughly every other Wednesday at 4:30 PM in SC 507. For Fall 2025, starting date is September 3.

Who can attend/give talks?

All Harvard undergraduate students are welcome to attend any Math Table talk and to sign up to give a talk. Talks come in a wide array of topics, background levels, and styles (see the "Resources" tab). The Math Table organizers (see "About" tab) are here to help you pick topics and develop your talk, so even if you aren't sure about what your topic is, you should come speak with us!

To sign up to give a talk, or if you have any questions about Math Table, please send an email to Philip Matchett Wood (pmwood@math.harvard.edu). You can also contact Matthew Demers (mdemers@math.harvard.edu ), Erica Dinkins (edinkins@math.harvard.edu ), or Roderic Guigo Corominas (rguigo@math.harvard.edu ).

Upcoming Talks (Fall 2025)

Wednesday, September 3

4:30 PM SC Hall A

Bézout's theorem and the birth of algebraic topology

Speaker: Joe Harris

Abstract: Bézout's theorem is a direct generalization of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra to polynomials in multiple variables: it predicts the number of solutions of a system of n polynomials in n variables. It was originally proved by algebraic methods, using resultants to reduce the problem to the FTA; but Poincaré saw in it the germ of an idea that he would ultimately develop into what we now recognize as homology, cohomology, cup product and Poincaré duality. In this talk, I'll try to sketch how this came about, and why Bézout's theorem is ultimately an elementary theorem in algebraic topology.

Recent Talks

For more past talks, check out our "Archive" section.

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